By IANS,
New Delhi : After lack of numbers in the Lok Sabha killed a move to grant constitutional status to the Lokpal, the Congress Wednesday said it was planning disciplinary action against MPs who were absent from the house despite a party whip.
Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy admitted it was a matter of concern that some Congress MPs were not in the house Tuesday night.
He told NDTV 24X7 that the party leadership would decide on the disciplinary action. Normally a show cause notice is issued in such cases.
“Yes, a whip had been issued and they were informed over the phone and by SMS. Still, some Congress MPs were not present in the house. It is quite unfortunate,” he told the channel.
He said the absence of the MPs led to the defeat of the amendment to give constitutional status to the Lokpal.
The government’s constitutional amendment bill in the Lok Sabha was defeated as the ruling coalition didn’t have the 50 percent strength in the Lok Sabha and two-thirds majority of the members present.
When the treasury benches realised what had happened, the Congress was stunned into silence. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal had an animated conversation.
Later, the government blamed the BJP for the defeat of the bill.